More than 400 miles of new border wall already have been built, with 450 expected to be completed by the end of 2020, according to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott.
Scott tweeted Monday that 402 miles of wall have been completed, 249 miles are under construction, and 87 miles under pre-construction.
Building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to slow illegal immigration was one of President Donald Trump's main campaign promises in 2016. He vowed to "make Mexico pay for it," and the project cost has been reported to exceed $15 billion.
The president has said in his reelection rallies Mexico is paying for the wall through fees paid when Mexican citizens cross legally into the United States. Also, Trump has touted Mexico deploying forces to guard the border.
The entire U.S.-Mexico border is nearly 2,000 miles long, but much of it is difficult terrain to construct border fencing. Other places already have fencing, but it has been deemed inadequate.
"The progress we are celebrating here did not happen by accident," acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said in October when the 400-mile milestone was hit. "The many miles of border wall system exists because of the will and vision of President Trump and the dedication and hard work of the men and women of DHS, the Army Corps of Engineers, and our colleagues from across the administration."
Democrat Joe Biden has said he will not continue building the wall if he is sworn in as president in January.
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